Congrats on securing your promotion! Being promoted is no small feat. As you know, becoming recognized for your contributions takes continuous commitment. From ongoing professional development, mentoring, self-advocacy, and positioning yourself as “promotion-worthy,” you should be proud of smashing your career goals.
Like many professionals, you may be considering “what’s next” on your career ladder. A part of exploring that is updating your resume to showcase your growth, progress, and key achievements at your company.
But how exactly do you list promotions on your resume? In this article, we will walk you through the process and considerations for how to display promotions on a resume.
Whether you’re applying for an internal promotion or hoping to secure a leadership role, you’ll walk away understanding:
- How to list promotions on a resume
- How to correctly format your promotion on a resume – using separate listings or combined
- Whether you should mention the promotion in a separate section
- How to articulate the difference between the roles (we’ll show you with some resume examples)
But, before getting started, we need to discuss one of the most common questions that is asked when it comes to listing promotions on resumes.
Should I List My Promotion on My Resume?
Absolutely! Your current and future employers want to see your growth and impact within a single company. Job promotions are a great way to show that you’ve become an expert, gone above and beyond, and mastered your role.
Employers want professionals who will come in, take ownership of their role and job responsibilities, learn quickly, and thrive. Promotions are an indicator that you have those traits and abilities.
For those of you who have been with your current employer for an extended period, it has probably been a while since you’ve updated your resume (or even created one). If this is the case, we’ve got you covered! You can use our AI-powered resume builder to update your existing resume or start from scratch. It can even provide personalized suggestions based on your relevant experience.
When it comes to looking for a new role, try shedding the belief that showcasing your accomplishments is “showing off” or being “too confident.” Remember, no one will know how incredible you are if you don’t tell them! Your resume is the place to do this.
Let’s go ahead and get into the details of how to list promotions on your resume.
Expert Advice on Adding Promotions to Your Resume
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💡 Our expert’s advice
As a Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW), I’ve spent years experimenting with what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to listing promotions. I’ve met with recruiters and hiring managers to learn their preferences as well. Based on my conversations and jobseeker’s outcomes, I can confidently tell you that the best and easiest way to list promotions on a resume is by showcasing the different positions you’ve held (with exceptions) within the company.
Your goal is to showcase your achievements, career advancement, and impact. It can be challenging to stuff it all into one role. Listing promotions as separate roles will allow you to highlight your biggest accomplishments under each title you’ve held.
For the sake of ease, let’s use a Marketing Professional as an example.
Separate listings for each role – example
Having separate entries is beneficial if you’ve held multiple roles within the same company, as it is a clean and easy-to-read format for showing your job progression. This method is also effective in showing how your day-to-day duties have significantly changed on your upward trajectory.
Experience
Company Name, City, State
Senior Marketing Manager (Month/Year – Present)
Led the development and implementation of marketing strategies for product launches while overseeing a team of 10 marketing professionals. Conducted market analysis to identify new business opportunities.
- Increased sales 40% through targeted marketing campaigns.
- Boosted customer engagement by 30% via social media initiatives.
- Improved team productivity by 15% through process optimization.
Marketing Manager (Month/Year – Month/Year)
Coordinated marketing campaigns across various channels, including digital and print. Managed relationships with key stakeholders to ensure marketing alignment. Developed content for promotional materials and advertisements.
- Enhanced brand awareness by 25% through innovative campaigns.
- Achieved a 10% increase in lead generation year-over-year.
- Reduced marketing costs by 12% through vendor negotiations.
Assistant Marketing Manager (Month/Year – Month/Year)
Supported the marketing team in the execution of campaigns. Conducted market research to identify potential trends and opportunities. Partnered with graphics team in the creation of marketing materials and presentations.
- Contributed to a 15% increase in customer retention through targeted campaigns.
- Streamlined research processes, reducing time spent by 20%.
- Played a key role in a campaign that generated 500 new leads.
This is the best way to format a promotion resume. Keep in mind if your goal is to secure a leadership role within or outside of your company, you want to make sure to use the right keywords throughout your resume. Check out our article on Leadership Skills for Your Resume.
When Can You Combine Promotions Under One Role?
In special cases, it may be challenging to show multiple roles from your career history. For example, if you’ve been promoted more than five times and you have additional relevant work experience outside of your company, you may consider combining promotions under one role. This will help you avoid a 3-to-4-page resume.
In addition, if your job duties and achievements across your promotions were similar, you might choose to combine them under a single listing. This approach to showing your career trajectory is also streamlined and avoids redundancy.
Combining promotions under one role – example
Again, we’ll take the role of a Marketing Manager to demonstrate this type of resume format.
Experience
Company Name, City, State
Marketing Manager (Month/Year – Present)
Promoted from Assistant Marketing Manager to Senior Marketing Manager within three years due to exemplary performance and commitment to driving excellence. Led a team of 10 professionals in developing and executing marketing strategies. Coordinated with sales and product teams to ensure marketing alignment. Conducted market research and analysis to guide marketing efforts.
- Increased sales by 40% through effective marketing strategies.
- Boosted customer engagement by 30% via social media initiatives.
- Improved team productivity by 15% through process optimization.
- Enhanced brand awareness by 25% through innovative campaigns.
- Achieved a 10% increase in lead generation year-over-year.
- Reduced marketing costs by 12% through vendor negotiations.
This option provides you with the opportunity to save space and quickly showcase your promotion to a senior position to hiring managers and recruiters. If this ends up being your chosen format, make sure to choose the impressive achievements that will position you for the industry and position you want.
How To Highlight Promotions Within the Same Role
What is a promotion within the same role? Sometimes, these are referred to as “lateral promotions” or “in-role advancements.”
They don’t often come with an increase in responsibilities without the formal title change. Even without the title, they still reflect significant professional growth. In case you’re wondering, “Yes! These are definitely worth listing on your resume.”
Why? Even if your job title didn’t change, an internal promotion indicates that your employer recognized your increasing value and contribution to the organization. Highlighting these advancements on your resume shows potential employers that you have a track record of growth and that you consistently took on more responsibilities, showcasing your ability to adapt, learn, and excel.
Promotions within the same role – example
Let’s see how this lateral promotion or in-role advancement can be clearly demonstrated on your resume.
Experience
Company Name, City, State
Marketing Manager (Month/Year – Present)
Initially hired as an Assistant Marketing Manager and promoted to Senior Marketing Manager. Expanded responsibilities to include overseeing product launches and leading a larger team. Developed and implemented comprehensive marketing strategies. Conducted market analysis and monitored industry trends.
- Successfully increased sales by 40%.
- Led a team that boosted customer engagement by 30%.
- Improved team productivity by 15% through process optimization.
- Enhanced brand awareness by 25% through innovative campaigns.
As you are writing your resume and listing promotions, remember that your goal is always to show continuous growth. Make it easy for the reader to follow your career journey.
As you review your description and achievements in your work experience section, make sure that you clearly explain what additional responsibilities you took on and how your role expanded compared to your previous position. This can include information on the following:
- The increase of employees you manage.
- A bigger budget.
- Overseeing more programs.
- Collaborating with more leaders and stakeholders.
- How your expertise has expanded (did you gain any new certifications or software competencies?)
Where Else Can I List Promotions on My Resume?
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💡 Our expert says
Another question I often hear is, “Can I mention my promotion in other sections?” The answer is, of course you can! As mentioned earlier, being promoted is a big deal, and you should share it as often as you can.
While the work experience section is the primary place to detail your career progression and promotions, incorporating mentions of your promotions in other sections of your resume can quickly grab the Hiring Manager’s attention and reinforce your best qualities! Below are two sections in which you can list your promotion:
Promotions in your resume summary
The summary section is your first impression. Think of it as your elevator pitch that sets the tone for the rest of your resume. You want to immediately hook the reader by showcasing how your impact and influence have been recognized and rewarded throughout your career.
Summary
Innovative and data-driven Marketing Professional with 8+ years experience in increasing sales, brand awareness, and customer engagement. Promoted from Assistant Marketing Manager to Senior Marketing Manager within three years, driving a 20% increase in sales through innovative strategies and effective team leadership.
This summary statement showcases your value, impact, results, and leadership abilities. All of these are qualities that a Hiring Manager looks for.
Achievement section
Another potential area to list your promotion is your achievement section. If you don’t mention your promotion in your summary, we recommend following up your summary with your top 3 career achievements. Check out the sample below:
Summary
Innovative and data-driven Marketing Professional with 8+ years experience in increasing sales, brand awareness, and customer engagement. Committed to driving excellence through fostering creative, collaborative, and forward-thinking team cultures.
Top Career Highlights:
- Promoted from Assistant Marketing Manager to Senior Marketing Manager within three years, driving a 20% increase in sales through innovative strategies and effective team leadership.
- Led a team that boosted customer engagement by 30%.
- Improved team productivity by 15% through process optimization.
Do you see how this section allows you to show off your career growth, share your professional journey, and position yourself as the best person for the job? This is exactly what a compelling resume consists of. With this competitive job market, it’s crucial that you utilize all the best practices when it comes to writing your resume.
Hopefully, you’re feeling confident about how to list promotions on your resume! Now, it’s time to move on to formatting. After all, your achievements need to be easy to read, look great, and articulate your value. Here are a few formatting tips to boost your chances of landing your next promotion!
Formatting and Wording Tips for Showcasing Your Promotions
Showcasing promotions on your resume involves more than just listing job titles and dates. It’s about clearly communicating your career progression and the value you added in each role. Here are the top five resume format and wording tips to help you present your promotions in the best light.
1. Use clear and consistent formatting
Consistency in formatting ensures that your resume is easy to read and professional. This means that you use the same structure for dates, job titles, the name of the company, job description, and location across all sections of your resume. Whether you have different roles or a new position, you need to maintain consistency.
2. Highlight achievements with bullet points
You want your achievements to stand out and be noticeable. Bulleted lists are an effective way to highlight your key achievements, new skills gained, and responsibilities in each role. This format makes your resume easy to scan and emphasizes the most important information for the reader for both your current position and previous roles.
3. Use strong action verbs
Be mindful of the words you use. Using strong action verbs helps to convey your accomplishments and levels of responsibility from distinct roles with more impact. Action verbs like “led,” “developed,” “implemented,” and “oversaw” demonstrate initiative and leadership.
4. Quantify your achievements
Show off your impressive accomplishments. Quantifying your achievements with specific metrics provides concrete evidence of your contributions and impact on meeting or surpassing your KPIs. Use numbers, percentages, and other metrics whenever you can to highlight the scope and success of your work.
5. Detail evolving responsibilities and promotions
Clearly detail the evolution of your responsibilities and the context of your promotions. Highlight the new tasks and projects you took on with each set up the career ladder, emphasizing how your role expanded throughout your job promotions.
Now it’s your turn. You’ve learned the ins and outs of how to list promotions on your own resume. From understanding how to list separate roles, combine promotions, and create the best format, you’re all set to show career growth on your resume.
Don’t forget that you can also list your promotions on LinkedIn! Check out the rest of our blog for more advice on resume writing, LinkedIn optimization, interview advice, and career growth tips.
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